Scars
by Master-Magician
Summary: It really had been an accident the first time. A broken glass bottle had slipped and slashed a deep cut just above Kimberly's left wrist. Her mom immediately freaked out after seeing the wound like any parent would. It had been an accident yes, but it did give Kimberly a solution for her problem. Twisted and depraved though it was.
1. Chapter 1

**Kimberly somewhat strikes me as the type of person to suffer in silence. If there was something wrong she wouldn't exactly let it be known.**

 **I will warn you now, this is going to be dark. Really, really, self-harm trigger inducing dark. It ends well, but it's not going to be a pleasant ride to get there.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Look at you." Kimberly spoke to her own reflection in the mirror. "What game are you playing at, I wonder. You think you're different? You think you can change just like that?"

Kimberly slammed a hand over the glass of the mirror to cover the reflection of herself. She had just barely managed to dial back her strength enough not to shatter the offensive item into a thousand pieces.

Even with Mirror-Kimberly obscured, that didn't stop the words that came unbidden to her mind.

Traitor.

Backstabbing bitch.

"Stop it." Kimberly hissed, closing her eyes tightly and clutching at her head trying to block the sound out. "Just stop."

Honestly, Kimberly didn't even know who she was talking to. There was nobody else in the bathroom save her, and her parents were not even home. It was just her alone in an empty house in the middle of the night.

Kimberly all alone against her worst enemy.

Her own mind.

"Do you really think your team actually needs you?" The words might have been coming from Kimberly's own lips, but she didn't know if she was even saying them, or if it was just her imagination. "What do you actually do? Cheer them on?"

"I said shut up!" Kimberly slammed her fist into the mirror full on this time. The reflective glass exploding into a shower of razor shards upon impact.

"Oh Kimberly." Mirror-Kimberly was still there on a tiny portion of the glass that survived. "I can't lie to you, you know." The expression of Kimberly's reflection turned shifted into a depraved grin that would have not been out of place upon Rita. "All you did before was cheer too. And you turned on your team back then, that's all you ever do. Betray those stupid enough to get close."

"That's not true." Kimberly immediately fled the bathroom. "I'm not that person anymore."

"Keep telling yourself that." Mirror-Kimberly would not be so easily avoided. "Too bad you'll never believe it. This is exactly who you are, Kimberly Hart, the one who backstabs her so called 'friends'."

Kimberly retreated to her bedroom and sat at the edge of her bed. For a few sweeter than honey moments, Mirror-Kimberly seemed to disappear, that mocking voice gone.

Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever.

"You can never be forgiven, but you can make up for it." Mirror-Kimberly reappeared.

"No… not again."

"But Kimberly." Mirror-Kimberly sounded disturbingly caring. "Don't you want to be free of all this guilt? All this pain?"

"I'm not doing it." Kimberly's voice cracked, knowing her willpower was falling faster than wood before an avalanche. "No, no no no."

"But it's so easy." Mirror-Kimberly giggled. "So easy, you'll feel like an idiot for not doing it sooner."

Kimberly again held her head in her hands trying to block the voice out, but it wasn't working. Her eyes just happened to glance over and see her phone sitting nearby right within her reach. Maybe she could…

"You really think that's a good idea?" Mirror-Kimberly admonished. "They already think you're weak. How do you think they'll react if they find out you can't handle a little guilt? That you think your problems are worse than theirs? Shame on you, Kimberly."

Mirror-Kimberly was right. The entire team had problems and issues, and Kimberly's were so unimportant when compared to theirs. No, calling any of them would be just plain cruel.

"But what do I do…" Kimberly sniffled softly, the last of her resistance crumbing.

"I told you already, you know what to do. It's the easiest, and best thing for you to do." Mirror-Kimberly reassured the sobbing girl. "I'm you, you can trust me."

"Okay." At last, Kimberly broke.

With trembling hands, Kimberly reached under her bed to pull out her… ugh she hated using the words but within her mind, she had taken to calling it her "therapy kit". A somewhat extensive first aid package along with a small razor that used to sit within a box cutter. Kimberly had since found a better use for the sharp blade.

"Remember, avoid the wrists. Don't want another mishap with mom." Mirror-Kimberly reminded the ranger as Kimberly took a seat on the floor, her back to the door.

It really had been an accident the first time. A broken glass bottle had slipped and slashed a deep cut just above Kimberly's left wrist. Her mom immediately freaked out after seeing the wound like any parent would. It had been an accident yes, but it did give Kimberly a solution for her problem.

Twisted and depraved though it was.

Pulling the leg of her shorts up higher, Kimberly had to stifle her vomit at the sight of all the cuts in varying stages of healing. Rangers healed from injury quickly, but not instantly.

"There you go, just like that." Mirror-Kimberly sighed happily as Kimberly pressed the metal blade into her flesh. With a flick of her wrist, she opened a fine line in her skin.

Kimberly gasped as she felt the first surge of pain. But pain was good, it distracted her, kept her thoughts elsewhere. Deep within Kimberly's mind, a small part of her was screaming to stop but she was too far gone to hear. One, two, more cuts followed the first.

Mirror-Kimberly was still talking, but the voice sounded so far away, Kimberly couldn't even understand the words anymore. That just meant it was finally working.

Swallowing hard, Kimberly slashed a fourth wound into her leg. Wrists were too obvious, they led to questions and unwanted attention. But legs? It was easily, scarily easy, to just wear leggings and jeans all the time. No more skirts and shorts when not in bed. Nobody sees, nobody asks questions, nobody sees how weak she is.

Kimberly moaned and leaned her head back to bask in the blissful silence. She could feel the blood running across her skin, but most of it was soaking into her shorts, staining the dark material a bright crimson. They would need to be thrown out later but that was an issue for another time.

The pink ranger may have overdone it a little tonight though, normally it didn't take so many cuts before she found her peace. Her clothes were often spared from harm thankfully, it made it easier to keep this nasty little activity from her parents. Oh well, dear old mom and dad wouldn't notice something like a pair of night shorts missing.

Kimberly was two seconds from making another cut when the universe chose that moment to remind her that it totally and utterly hated her with a passion.

"Hey Kim, I saw you light was on and…" Trini scrambled through the window with cat-like agility but stopped cold when she saw Kimberly.

Kimberly had been startled with Trini's arrival so much, she dropped the razor. There was any number of scenarios Kimberly could have concocted for that moment, but it was pointless. Neither was an escape possible, Kimberly was leaning against the only door away and Trini was in front of the window. Not to mention, she doubted she could outrun the yellow ranger with her leg in its current state.

Kimberly laying on the floor and bleeding heavily from a sliced-up limb, and a bloody razor less than a foot away.

There was no explaining this away.

Several emotions passed across Trini's face in the span of a single second. Shock, panic, anger, before finally settling on a blank stare.

Trini crossed the room to Kimberly so fast, she wondered if her fellow ranger had just teleported somehow.

The other girl swatted the underside of Kimberly's leg hard, probably harder than necessary, making her raise the limb up a bit higher. With that done, Trini took some of the gauze from Kimberly's medical kit and started cleaning up the wounds. When it was to her satisfaction, she wrapped more around it. It was strange, Trini seemed to know exactly what she was doing.

The whole while, Trini said not a word, her gaze betraying no emotion save focus. Kimberly herself was unable to even make a sound. Whatever she might have tried to let out got stuck in her throat as she watched the yellow ranger work.

Once done cleaning and bandaging, Trini stood up and moved over to Kimberly's dresser and produced a different pair of shorts before tossing them into Kimberly's lap.

Kimberly stared at the article of clothing for a long moment, her brain unable to comprehend what was even happening.

"Change." Trini spoke for the first time as she turned her back to Kimberly to give her privacy, her voice possessing an icy edge that would have made Rita cringe. "If you try to run, I will catch you."

Kimberly found herself obeying even without realizing she was. The idea of making for the door was a tempting one, but she knew Trini's threat was no idle one.

"O…okay." Kimberly croaked out once done changing her shorts, groaning as the act jostled her new wounds. Their ranger pain tolerance actually worked against Kimberly, she had to cut deeply to get what she needed from it. The pain should have brought Kimberly peace as it always did, but now it was doing nothing but make her sick.

Trini turned back around and moved to kneel directly in front of Kimberly. Her face, previously a neutral mask of indifference, had turned into complete, barely contained fury. "Talk, now."

"I… I can't." Kimberly bit down hard on her lip trying not to cry.

How could she? How could Kimberly explain that she was worthless, a complete waste of life? How could she explain that she was nothing but a traitor that would one day turn on her own team like Rita did hers? How could she possibly explain that the team was better off without her?

Trini's glare grew for a moment before softening considerably. "Legs are easy, aren't they?"

Kimberly stared at Trini, flabbergasted at her choice of words. "What?"

"Easy to hide." Trini continued. "Nobody can ask if they don't see the marks. Right?"

"Uh… right."

"It doesn't work, Kim."

"Yes, it doe…"

"No, it doesn't!" Trini raised her voice for the first time, she must have known Kimberly's parents were out for the night. "For a bit? Oh yeah, it works perfect, feels good even. But it's never enough. Like taking drugs, you need more and more just to get you there. Until you reach a point you've gone too far to go back."

Kimberly knew she was sounding childish right now arguing against Trini about this but all of her points died on her tongue when Trini brought up her arms. Several rows of scars covered both wrists, every single one years old and some barely visible. How Kimberly never noticed them she had no idea.

"It… don't… work." Trini hissed pulling both arms back.

"I…" Kimberly struggled to find her voice but it wouldn't come.

"Come on." Trini moved to Kimberly's side and slung the pink ranger's arm over her shoulders. "Let's get you to bed."

Kimberly said nothing, allowing Trini to pull her back to her feet. Her world spun as she realized how dizzy and unsteady she was. If Trini hadn't been supporting her, Kimberly would have already fallen on her face.

One step at a time with a barely mobile Kimberly, Trini guided her to her bed and helped her onto it before draping the covers over the girl.

Once Kimberly was in a position Trini found acceptable, the Latina took to laying at the pink ranger's side.

"Trini, you don't need to…"

"Shut up." Trini snapped. "Into girls or not, two sisters can share a bed, right?"

"Uh…"

"Right." Trini finished her own question before Kimberly even had a chance. "Now can it and try to get some sleep or so help me god, I will knock you the hell out."

Kimberly really wasn't sure if that last part was a joke or if she was serious. Judging by the venom in Trini's voice, she was all too ready to carry it out if need be.

Not wanting to incur Trini's wrath, Kimberly acquiesced to the demand.

Seeing as how she was facing away from her alarm clock on Trini's side of the bed, Kimberly didn't know how long she lay there before sleep finally claimed her. It brought a sense of odd comfort feeling the bed dipping from Trini's weight at her side, even though one was on top of the covers and the other under them.

When Kimberly woke to get ready for school, the first thing to greet her was the stinging pain from her leg. Unlike the previous night, the pain didn't make her feel better. It just made her all the more disgusted with her worthless self.

Waking up in such a state was nothing new either, but what was weird was Trini gone and Kimberly's therapy kit was packed up and put away. There wasn't even a trace Trini had been there.

Was it all a dream?

It had to be, there was no way Kimberly was unlucky enough for Trini to stumble across her in the middle of the night and find her in the middle of her therapy. Nobody has luck that bad, not even her.

Pushing those thought out of her mind for now, Kimberly got ready for school.

Kimberly might be a waste of life, but one thing she felt she excelled in was being an actor. During the day, she was perfectly normal and managed to fool the other rangers even with their bond. She would laugh at Zack's jokes, chat with Jason, hang out with Trini, and study with Billy. Every single one was fooled by Kimberly's confidence act.

At least, they had been fooled. As Kimberly would discover at lunch, one of her friends had seen past the illusion.

"C'mon Hart, you're the only one with a cookie left." Zack whined. "I'm starving here." The black ranger flopped himself dramatically onto the lap of a scowling Jason. "Everything's going dim…"

Kimberly rolled her eyes, lips lifting ever so slightly in another fake smile. "Sheesh, we finally managed to get rid of you? We should have considered starving you earlier."

"Ouch." Zack sat up just enough to see Kimberly over the table. "That hurts, I don't know which will put me in a coma first, lack of food or your meanness."

"For god's sake." Jason effortlessly lifted Zack off his lap and back into his own seat. "I'm not a pillow."

"But you are pretty comfy, I do have to admit." Trini supplied from Kimberly's side.

"Yeah, she has a point." Kimberly agreed. She pretended to raise the cookie on her lunch tray to her mouth, just to spite Zack.

"Very true. Jason does make for a great place to lay one's head. Which is surprising considering…" Billy joined in as well but trailed off when he saw the look Jason was sending his way.

"See?" Zack grinned like a loon. "Billy and the ladies got your number, chief."

Jason had no answer for that one, save a groan.

"Cheer up." Zack patted Jason on the back. "Embrace your pillowness. It's a good thing."

Kimberly's attention was ripped away from the boy's talk by Trini's hand on her leg. The same one she cut on the night before and in the exact same spot where the bandages were concealed under loose fitting jeans.

As if Trini knew right where it was.

"Hey Kim, I lost my notes for that test next week. Mind if I borrow yours?" Trini's hand gripped tighter.

"Sure." Kimberly sucked in a sharp breath at the spike of pain Trini's grip brought. With Kimberly's ranger empowered pain threshold, the hold on her leg should have been nothing. But Trini wasn't just holding, she was squeezing, crushing even, with her full strength. Her bones would be breaking were Kimberly not so durable.

"Awesome, you're a lifesaver." Trini smiled, but her eyes spoke differently.

It was the same look of anger Trini held when she was done patching up Kimberly's wounds in what the pink ranger thought was a dream.

Giving one last heavy squeeze, Trini released Kimberly's leg with a smile and went back to her food and the group discussion.

Kimberly meanwhile, was struggling not to hyperventilate. She must have managed to keep up most of her façade because nobody else noticed her panicking at this new development.

It wasn't a dream.

It wasn't a dream.

Holy hell, it wasn't a dream!

Trini was there last night! She saw everything!

* * *

 **This was supposed to be a single one-shot but the beast kind of got away on me and wound up longer than I thought. I felt a good stopping point was after the lunch table scene. Trust me, it does get much better and happier.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This was a lot easier to write than I ever would have thought. Only issue I have is with Billy, I have a lot of difficultly writing a character like him so I hope I did the blue ranger the justice he deserves.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"You know what you need to do, Kimberly." Mirror-Kimberly voice was like nails on a chalkboard, but Kimberly was unable to shut her out.

"I don't want to…" Kimberly cried, tears flowing in rivers down her cheeks while she held her hands up to her ears trying to block Mirror-Kimberly out. "Leave me alone."

"Shh, it will be okay. You'll feel better when you're done." Mirror-Kimberly cooed. "Just trust me."

"Okay…" Kimberly didn't even stop crying as she got out the plastic case that was her salvation and damnation all rolled up into one.

By some chance, Kimberly happened to see her phone sitting on her bedsheets where she left it. The sight brought an idea to the pink ranger's mind.

"You don't want to do that." Mirror-Kimberly was instantly there to shut the idea down.

It would have worked too, had Kimberly not remembered the night days ago that Trini found her bleeding. Along with the look in the Latina's eyes at the lunch table.

"No!" Mirror-Kimberly snarled as Kimberly lunged for the small device.

Frantically, Kimberly punched in the code for the lock screen, having to make several tries due to the way Mirror-Kimberly was screaming in her ear to stop. When Kimberly finally got through, she scrambled to her contacts, one in particular.

The phone didn't even ring fully once before Trini's voice came from the other side. "Kim?"

"Trini…" It was all Kimberly could get out, Mirror-Kimberly had become deafening. So much so, that Trini might have said something else but it couldn't register in Kimberly's brain.

"Don't move." There was a loud thump from Trini's side of the line, like something heavy dropping from high up. "Keep talking to me."

"Trini…"

"That's it, talk to me." Trini urged from the phone. "Just keep talking."

"Hang up, Kimberly. Now." Mirror-Kimberly demanded, the voice so loud, Kimberly didn't know how the glass of her ears were still intact, the sheer volume should have made her eardrums explode. "You shouldn't be dragging you friend into this. It's cruel and unfair to her."

"Kim!" Trini pleaded when Kimberly went silent for just a hair too long. "Don't hang up, just talk to me, please."

"Trini…" The name was all Kimberly could choke out, her mind was too clouded, too distracted by Mirror-Kimberly, to come up with anything else.

Kimberly didn't say a single word other than Trini's name, but that seemed more than enough for the yellow ranger. No matter how many times Kimberly repeated it.

There was a crunch from Kimberly's window that caught her attention. She turned her gaze up just in time to see Trini dive through the opening, probably damaging the wood of the frame in the process.

The yellow ranger was before Kimberly before she could so much as blink. Trini's hair still covered in fresh soap suds, half dressed, and with only one sock on. She must have rushed from her house the instant she got Kimberly's call.

"Now you've gone and done it." Mirror-Kimberly sighed. "You know this was a mistake."

"I'm right here, Kim." Trini was completely oblivious to Kimberly's tormentor. "Hey, Kim. Look at me."

Kimberly couldn't. Mirror-Kimberly had been right, it was a stupid move to call Trini. All it would accomplish was allowing Trini to see just how weak Kimberly was. It would let her get close enough for Kimberly's knife in the back. She needed to…

All thoughts ground to a halt as Trini took Kimberly's chin in her hands and forced her to meet the other girl's eyes. "Look at me."

Kimberly swallowed hard, not able to move because of Trini's iron grip. A weak nod was all Trini allowed her.

"Don't listen to her, Kimberly." Mirror-Kimberly was right there in Kimberly's ear.

"Just focus on me, okay Kim?" Trini's voice was soft and soothing.

"Ignore her. You know it's for your friends' own good, Kimberly."

"Ignore everything else, you and I are the only ones here, Kim."

"Remember what happened the last time you let others get close? It will just happen again, Kimberly."

"Whatever you're telling yourself, it isn't true, Kim."

"You know it is. You know I can't lie to you, Kimberly."

"Just focus on my voice, ignore everything else, Kim."

"Don't listen to her, Kimberly."

"Breathe, Kim."

"Just focus on me, Kim."

As the unknowing Trini waged her verbal war with Mirror-Kimberly over Kimberly, Mirror-Kimberly's voice became quieter, more subdued. Eventually it faded almost completely, much like the times it did after Kimberly finished her 'therapy'.

At some point, Trini had taken the razor from Kimberly's death grip and hurled the blade across the room to imbed itself into the drywall. In its place, Trini took both of her fellow ranger's hands in her own.

"You're okay, I've gotcha." Trini smiled then, a warm sight that made Kimberly's heart ache.

Kimberly launched herself into Trini's arms before she could stop herself, tears now falling freely. Trini grunted in surprise, but otherwise caught the other ranger and returned the embrace.

"It's alright." Trini continued to console the sobbing girl, rubbing circles into her upper back. "Everything's going to be alright."

* * *

"No, no, not this one, nope. Not this one either."

"Is there a reason you're so trashing my closet, Trini?" Kimberly was sitting on her bed, but had to duck as yet another article of her clothing was hurled out of the closest by Trini. The sight was like one right out of a movie, made all the funnier by Trini being the one doing it.

"I'm looking for something, and trying to see just how your fashion sense is." Trini poked her head out. "So far, I am not impressed."

"Hey, there is nothing at all wrong with my fashion sense." Kimberly defended, again having to drop underneath more clothes. It wouldn't have been so bad, but Trini was tossing garments out with ranger strength. Kimberly's arm still hurt when that first pair of jeans caught her unaware. "Besides, we need to get moving. The guys will be waiting on us if we take too long."

"Let em' wait." Trini's arm appeared with a dismissive wave before disappearing back into the closet. "You know Jason, he won't let Zack go too far into the food before we get there."

"Speaking of our illustrious leader, why did he cancel training?" Kimberly had to admit, it was weird.

"Haven't a clue, but he did say something about 'team bonding' stuff. Maybe another campfire is his idea of getting closer." Kimberly could hear the shrug in Trini's voice. "I'm all for skipping training and getting some of Billy's smores."

"We need to market the things." Kimberly started with a smirk, knowing Trini would finish.

"I know!" Trini head again came from the closet before going back in. "We'd make a killing!"

"Yeah, if we could keep Zack from…"

"Ah ha!" Trini cried with triumph, cutting Kimberly off. "Here, wear this."

This time, instead of the clothes being thrown over her, they were thrown directly at Kimberly. She caught the fabric easily with ranger reflexes but when she looked at it the sight almost made her freak out.

The leg garment was too short to be called pants, but left Kimberly's legs visible. While she normally had no problem with showing a little leg at times, she did have a problem when said leg showing made her bandages visible.

And Trini's choice of attire would do just that.

"Uh… yeah, I don't think so." Kimberly instantly tossed the item aside but Trini caught it before it even hit the ground.

"And why not?"

"You really have to ask that?" Kimberly scowled but not at Trini.

"Hey." Trini again took Kimberly's chin in her hand and forced her to look at the yellow ranger, just like she'd done days before. "Trust me on this okay? Nobody will say a word about it."

"You can't possible know…" The thought did occur to Kimberly that Trini might tell the other rangers about her… bad habit. But Trini had promised on her life it would stay between them so long as she was called if Kimberly had another night when things got bad.

"I don't have to know, I just trust our friends."

Kimberly was properly floored by that one. The antisocial, black sheep Trini professing her trust for others? Wow, that was even weirder than her going through Kimberly's closet.

"Alright…" Sucking in a deep breath, Kimberly agreed.

One change of clothes later, the girls were speeding off into the night in the direction of the mines.

Kimberly did her best to keep calm about the whole thing, but she still had her worries. No amount of reassurances from Trini would stop that. Maybe if she was lucky, nobody would see her legs in the dark. She could take a seat a tiny bit further away from the fire than normal, or just sit differently.

Aww who was Kimberly kidding? There was no way in hell Jason and the others wouldn't notice the bandages wrapped around her leg. They all had the ranger senses, missing the injury would be literally impossible. Dim light no, injury to each other was spotted like a bonfire at night.

If she was lucky, Kimberly could fool them with a bullcrap story about getting hurt somehow. It might take some work to fool them with all their ranger attributes, but they didn't need to know the wounds were self-inflicted.

Then again, the rangers had grown adept at noticing when the others were lying.

Oh, it was going to be a bad night…

"Ladies!" Zack gave an enthusiastic holler from their little campsite as Kimberly and Trini approached. "You finally made it, Jason was about to send out a search party."

"Was not." Jason lightly whacked Zack in the arm. "But good thing you guys are here, I don't know how much longer I could have kept Zack from the smores."

"Delicious, sweet smores." Zack practically drooled at the words.

Kimberly almost turned and ran, almost. Sure, that would have raised a number of red flags with the team, she at least would have gotten away. But Trini's hand on her back was pushing her forward whether she liked it or not.

"Here, Zack." Billy licked his fingers as he passed the freshly made smore over to Zack. "For being so patient, you get number one."

"YES!" Zack cheered as he tore into the treat with zero reservations. He tried to say something, but his mouth was full so it only came out as gibberish.

"Uh, you're welcome. I think." Billy gave a sheepish smile as he went to work making more for everyone else.

As the night dragged on, Kimberly kept waiting for someone to say something. To her eternal shock, Trini had been right. Nobody batted an eye at the sight of her wrapped leg. She half expected at least a stare or two, but Kimberly didn't even get that.

Maybe they really did think she had some accident and it was no big deal?

"Hey, Kim?"

There goes that idea.

"Sorry, what Trini?"

"Just wanting to see how you're doing, you seem a little out of it." Trini tilted her head slightly.

"Nope, perfectly fine." Kimberly smiled, response a little too quick, the smile a little too forced. Oh, how she hoped Trini wasn't choosing now to rat her out. It would be just her luck.

"Okay, just wanted to make sure." Trini's voice had changed, and with it so too did the mood of the group. Whereas before they were grins and jokes, a profound hush had fallen, everyone was quiet and pensive.

Kimberly hated it, but dared not speak.

"How about you, crazy girl?" Zack asked from his chair, voice as serious as Trini's had been. "How are you doing?"

Trini smiled, but it was just the tiniest of ones. One so small, only the five present would even know it was a smile at all. "You know, for the longest time, I wasn't?"

Nobody spoke a word as the yellow ranger stood up. She didn't talk at first, merely paced about for a few long moments as if deep in thought. They all knew the conversation was about to get deep, and gave Trini all the time she needed.

"For years I tried." Trini began after her long pause. "I tried so hard to fit in, to be the daughter my family wanted. But it was never enough, so I started thinking I needed to be punished for my faults. Maybe if I suffered enough, I could make myself better."

Billy leaned forward in his seat heavily, obviously wanting to say something, but the blue ranger bit his tongue and remained silent so Trini could finish.

"Every time I did it, I told myself I had to. Once I'd suffered enough, I would be the girl everyone wanted me to be." At this, Trini revealed her arms for all to see in the firelight. Kimberly had seen them before, the first night Trini found out about her therapy. The others may have noticed, but no one said a word.

Much like Kimberly's bandages, none of the rangers made a comment. Nobody stared, they just remained in their seats listening to Trini with complete and total attention.

"One day… I accidentally cut too deep." Trini's voice was rock steady, to Kimberly's astonishment. "I passed out before I could even yell for help. That's not even the part that haunts me the most. Jason, out of all of us, you might have a rough idea how this next part feels, you have a little sister."

Kimberly had a feeling she knew where this story was going, and the thought made her sick.

"I'm on my floor, bleeding out, and one of my little brothers stumbles across me. He was way too young to understand what was happening, and thank god he doesn't remember to this day, but he goes to my dad asking why I'm lying on the floor covered in red paint." Trini laughs ever so quietly, but Kimberly could hear her voice crack. "Two minutes, I found out later if they had gotten to me two minutes later, bye bye Trini."

Kimberly wanted to say something, anything, to comfort her friend, but found her throat locked up. She wasn't the only one either, everyone in the group sported similar looks.

"But it did teach me a valuable lesson." Trini was smiling now, genuinely smiling. The type of smile Kimberly always felt could light up a room. "I had nothing I needed to make myself hurt for. I didn't need to make up for anything. That's not who I am. But the most important thing?"

Trini asked it like a question, but nobody seemed able to answer, or just didn't want to.

"I am me!" Trini roared into the night. "And I am good enough!"

All were silent for many heartbeats. Until out of nowhere, Billy started clapping. It didn't take long for Zack to join in along with a hoot of "you go crazy girl". Jason immediately after, even Kimberly herself couldn't help but follow along.

Kimberly envied Trini far more than she could ever tell. Life and family had beaten and battered the yellow ranger, but she came out all the stronger for it. Far stronger than Kimberly ever hope to be.

"Thank you." Trini bowed at the applause.

"Hey, it's cool. You're with us now." Billy leaned across the campsite to offer his fist to Trini.

"Yeah, I am." Trini, unlike the first time Billy had done the gesture, didn't even hesitate to return the fist bump. Kimberly didn't think it was possible, but Trini's smile actually grew larger at Billy's act.

"See, Kim?" Trini's eyes were now locked firmly on Kimberly's. "Remember what I told you? It's never enough."

Kimberly looked across the group and found no looks of surprise or shock. If anything, it was like a collective sadness had been draped across the entire team.

That was when the horror truly set in.

"You told them!" Kimberly screeched and almost jumped to her feet, but Trini's look held her pinned in place. "How could you!"

"She didn't tell us anything." Jason stared at the campfire.

"We… already knew." Everyone, Kimberly included, hated the way Billy sounded when he was saddened. The very sound was like a punch to the gut.

"Ditto." Zack said simply, eyes on the fire like Jason.

"W… what?" Kimberly was completely dumbstruck.

"You know how it's just me and my mom?" Trini had retaken her seat, but when she did Zack stood up. "For the longest time, she was all I had, and I was all she had. We never had the money for a live-in nurse or anything so it was all up to me." Zack cleared his throat. "I do my best, but… sometimes I feel like my best just isn't enough. Like I'm not taking good enough care of my own mom."

Zack emotionally baring himself for all to see was such a rare event, they were all accustomed to his cocky and brash nature. This side of Zack just felt… wrong.

"I ever tell you guys my dad was just like me?" Billy picked up when Zack went silent. "Ya know, always inventing stuff, exploring and finding stuff. I always followed along with him, but I didn't really get into it after he was already gone."

The blue ranger faltered for a moment until Jason reached over to rest a hand on his shoulder. The touch seemed to give him more strength.

"My mom was so sad after… well after." Billy rubbed his hands together. "One day I happened to be messing with some of my dad's old things and the way she smiled at me. It was like she forgot he was gone for a moment. So, I started tinkering, started doing just like what he did. I wanted to make my mom smile again like she did for my dad and me both. But as hard as I try, it's not like she used to. I'm just not good enough to make my mom smile like she used to."

The moment Billy stopped, Jason started. "I let my dad down bad with that stupid prank. Let down my entire old team, my old friends, everyone who looked up to me. I want to see the way they look up to me again, like I'm actually somebody to look to. So, I try, I try to be the son my dad wants, even a little. But I'm just not good enough for him."

There were those two words again, good enough. Two words that every single one of Kimberly's friends said in one way or another in their confessions. The same two words that described what Kimberly hated herself for not being.

"We're connected, Kim." Trini retook the reins of the conversation. "We all feel what the others feel."

"Like I said, she didn't have to tell us anything about you." Jason's voice shook, a sound that was creepier than Rita's laughter. "We knew, we felt it, but did nothing."

"I don't understand." Kimberly forced out.

"We knew how you were feeling, but we selfishly thought it was ourselves." Jason continued. "We're a team, we're family, we're supposed to look after each other. And we let you down, Kim."

"You didn't let me down!" Kimberly was on her feet now. "It's not any of you, it's me!" Yelling was unnecessary, but Kimberly couldn't hold back. "What do I do on this team? Not a thing! And even if I did, it would never be enough. I would never be enough. I didn't even accomplish anything against Rita either!"

"No." Billy said simply.

"No?"

"Yeah, no." Jason was on his feet now. "Remember this, I'm in my zord taking a beating from Goldar. I'm on the ground and can't get back up. Who swoops in and literally lifts me up, putting herself right in the line of fire at the same time?"

"And took a nasty hit and crippled too." Zack added. "Don't forget that, I felt it from my zord."

"What he said, Kim." Jason motioned at Zack. "This was you, and only you. And do you know what was going through my head as we fell into the fire?"

"Hold on to each other." Trini was first.

"Hold on to each other." Billy came second.

"Hold on to each other." Zack was third and pretended he was holding something.

"Hold on to each other." Jason was last to speak. "As we fell and when I just knew we were going to burn, that was what I held on to. Your words are what I clung to."

"Do you really think we'd have won without you?" Trini scoffed. "Not a chance, girl. Sure, we'd have put up one hell of a fight, but we'd still lost."

"But… but…" Kimberly fumbled with her words, her eyes right on the edge of cutting loose. "What if I end up just backstabbing all of you? I'll… I'll be just like Rita."

There it was, the most horrifying thing Kimberly always felt but never let herself think. Rita had been a ranger, had been part of a team that cared about her, and in the end, she turned on the people she was closest to. How she felt about her own team meant nothing to the green ranger.

Just like Kimberly had done to her childhood friends.

Trini and Jason were at Kimberly's sides in an instant, yellow and red rangers gently taking hold of an arm each.

"That won't happen, Kim." Trini disagreed.

"No way." Jason took hold of Kimberly's hand while Trini snatched her second. "I don't care what you're telling yourself, you are not Rita, and you never will be."

"But she… I…"

"You're twenty times the ranger that gold freak ever was." Zack moved up behind Kimberly to put his hands on her shoulders. "Besides, I know I'm not that easy to get rid of. I'm here for the long haul."

"We all are." Billy took the only open spot left directly in front of Kimberly and placed his hands on her forearms. "You're with us now, always will be."

"Guys..." Kimberly sniffled, tears straining against what little remained of Kimberly's emotional tolerance. "You're going to make me cry."

"It's okay, Kim." Trini laced her fingers with Kimberly's as Jason did the same to the other. "Just let it all out. We're here to catch you."

The feel of it all was too much for Kimberly. She would have fallen right to the dirt then, had Billy not swept forth to catch her just in time. One by one, all the rangers joined in the embrace until the five of them were all clung together in a group hug with Kimberly in the exact center, surrounded by the people she felt loved and safest with.

* * *

 **This was supposed to be just two chapters, but this one came out so well I felt the final part should get a chapter of its own.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Not how I originally planned to end this, but I think I like this version better. Regardless, here is the third and final chapter of Scars.**

 **Enjoy**.

* * *

"Look at you." Mirror-Kimberly spoke in the mirror. "What game are you playing at, I wonder. You think you're different? You think you can change just like that?"

There was a time Kimberly would have been utterly terrified to hear that mocking voice in her room. A time she would have begged it to stop, to leave her alone. A time she would have been turned into a sobbing mess just by hearing the sound.

"Hmm… too bad." Kimberly completely ignored her doppelganger in the mirror, she was more focused on examining her legs.

It had been a bit since Kimberly's fireside confession, and the wounds had already healed nicely. She didn't even need to wear the bandages anymore. It was a pity really, Kimberly almost wished they would leave scars behind, but they didn't. Thanks to ranger healing, there wasn't even a sign of what she had done to herself.

Trini bore scars of her own, but the Latina didn't actively show them on purpose. When she did, she held no shame, no self-pity. Trini was so much stronger than Kimberly could ever be, but Kimberly was strong too in her own way. Trini may not show them off, but she wore her scars like badges of honor.

As if to say that yes, she was there, yes, she suffered, but in the end, she came out on top and victorious. Trini conquered her own inner demons and carried to the proof of conquest on her arms everywhere she went.

Kimberly didn't carry the same proof, but she didn't need it. Just like Trini, the pink ranger had fought her own demons and won.

"Oh, Kimberly. I know it's hard to accept it, but you know who you are."

Speaking of personal demons…

"You're right." Kimberly pulled her leg from the bed and strode over to the mirror. "I do know who I am."

"Good, then you…"

"I know exactly who I am." Kimberly often told her evil twin to shut up or to leave her alone, but never before had her voice held the conviction it did now. Her voice was never strong enough to actually cow Mirror-Kimberly into submission with words alone, it certainly was now. "And what about you, hmm? Who are you?"

"I am you, I know exactly who and what you are. I cannot lie to you, remember?" Mirror-Kimberly wore her favorite shark tooth grin, one that both disgusted and horrified Kimberly once upon a time. Now, it just enraged her instead.

"No more." Kimberly snapped, and for the first time since her appearance, it was Mirror-Kimberly's turn to appear scared and weak. "No more are you going to torment and haunt me. What you say means nothing."

"Kimberly." Mirror-Kimberly sighed like a disappointed parent. "There's no need for this, you know I only have your best interest in mind."

Kimberly laughed, actually laughed, at what she was hearing. "You can't be serious."

"Kimberly…"

"No, you listen." Kimberly's palm struck the glass of the mirror hard, but not enough to damage the surface. "What you say means nothing, you are nothing."

"Kimberly, please." Mirror-Kimberly's voice was weak, shaken. It was now her turn to feel the agony she had inflicted on Kimberly for so long. She wasn't in control anymore, and Mirror-Kimberly knew it.

"I know exactly who I am. I am me, and you, are nothing but a bad memory." With the last word hers, Kimberly swiped her hand across the reflective glass. When she pulled it away, Mirror-Kimberly was gone. In her place was Kimberly herself, wearing a grin that could have outshone the sun.

With Mirror-Kimberly gone, and her 'therapy kit' having been hurled off a cliff a week ago, Kimberly was finally free.

"Your highness! Your escort has arrived!" Zack's voice carried, as it often did, from outside Kimberly's room and from somewhere downstairs.

"Up here, ready whenever." The sound made Kimberly's eyes roll, but it didn't diminish her smile. She had actually asked him to accompany her on the drive to school today for a reason. It worked out especially well since her parents were gone for the week.

"Let's get… wow." Zack came into Kimberly's doorway but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the pink ranger.

"What do you think?" Kimberly tried her best not to sound nervous. She'd thought about calling Billy instead, but had settled on Zack seeing as how he told things like they were. "Too much?"

Kimberly had chosen her outfit carefully for today. It was the first time she could go anywhere without having to hide bandages under jeans, leggings, or whatever covered her legs. With them gone, her wardrobe options were a little more expanded.

For her upper body, Kimberly had settled on one of her plainer tops and leather jacket. The real part that had her concerned, was the black leather miniskirt that she hadn't worn in some time. Not since the day she cut her hair in the bathroom.

It had been some time since she'd worn skirts or shorts in public, and today she wanted to show her legs off, scars or no.

"Uhh…" Zack hesitated for a moment. "No, but I can't wait to see the looks on Jason and crazy girl. They're going to have a field day with this." At Kimberly's look of confusion, Zack added. "It's going to be like a movie, jaws on the floor and maybe even drool, I can't wait."

"No, they won't." Kimberly deflected, but couldn't deny the way she flushed at the thought.

"We'll see. Well then, shall we my lady?" Zack offered an arm along with a poor attempt at a southern gentlemen accent that had Kimberly barking with laughter. Nevertheless, the pink ranger didn't even hesitate to link her arm with the black ranger's.

The whole thing was made all the more ironic by the fact that Kimberly was the one driving the duo, but she didn't think it worth mentioning.

Upon arrival to the school, Kimberly's outfit got a lot of attention from her fellow students. Much like her new hair had done when she returned to detention so long ago. Back then, she had basked in all the stares and whistles. Allowing them to instill confidence back into her shattered self-esteem.

Right now, Kimberly didn't even care. She wasn't trying to show off her looks, she was showing something else off. Even if no one but the rangers knew it, Kimberly didn't care. Being here in public, legs bare, made her feel stronger than she had ever felt.

At Kimberly's side, Zack knew exactly what his fellow ranger was doing. He said not a word about it as they searched the halls for the rest of the team, but his grin told Kimberly he was proud of her.

Kimberly and Zack ended up finding their three wayward comrades at Kimberly's locker, obviously waiting for the pink and black rangers. Jason and Trini were engaged in some halfhearted argument about something, but that died as soon as Billy pointed the other two's arrival out.

"Finally, thought you two would never…" Trini started but her voice died on her tongue when she saw Kimberly. The Latina wasn't even trying to hide what she was looking at when she stared Kimberly up and down.

Jason hadn't even been able to say a word, but was at least trying not to stare. Trying, and failing spectacularly.

The red and yellow rangers' jaws had even dropped, literally. Just like Zack had foretold.

"Morning, guys." Kimberly may not have cared about attention from the rest of the school, but there was something about this that actually mattered. She liked it that Trini and Jason found her attractive enough to stare, it made her feel on top of the world. "What did we miss?"

"Sorry." Jason shook his head to clear it. "What?"

"Uh, crazy girl?" Zack leaned forward and closed Trini's mouth with a single finger to her chin. "You're drooling."

"Am not." Trini snapped and looked away with a huff and a scowl. It didn't help her case when she immediately wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, subconsciously or intentionally was anyone's guess.

This brought a chorus of laughter from the entire ranger team. Unlike so many previous times, Kimberly didn't have to fake it this time. She even let her arm rest across Jason's shoulder when it intensified at Trini chasing after Zack who was going on and on about Trini's repeated "eating the eye candy".

"I'll show you eye candy, Taylor!" Trini howled as Zack took cover behind Jason and Kimberly, neither of whom budged an inch.

"Oh, come on, Trini! You totally were!" Zack called out as he and Trini moved back and forth around the red and pink rangers. Trini looking for an opening, and Zack looking for an escape. "So was he."

"Hey, leave me out of this." Jason joined in.

"You kinda were, it was nice." Kimberly shrugged but had only barely managed to stop laughing from lack of breath. The look of defeat of Jason's face just made it return stronger.

"See? I'm right chumps!" Zack cheered in self-victory, right until Trini moved faster than even his ranger reflexes could catch. "Oh, crap!"

"Gotcha!" Trini full on tackled the black ranger, both falling into an ungraceful heap onto the tiled floor.

"Come on, guys. We're gonna get into trouble." Jason chuckled, but moved to approach the wrestling duo on the floor.

Zack and Trini stopped just long enough to look at Jason, then share a look with each other.

"Oh no." Jason took a step back. "Don't even think about…" He never even got to finish before Trini and Zack grabbed a leg each and pulled, sending the red ranger down to their level for the two to dogpile.

Kimberly watched the whole debacle alongside Billy while the only standing rangers leaned against the lockers. It was hilarious, watching Jason trying to out muscle Zack and Trini both off of him to zero effect.

As if the Jason was even trying to actually escape. If he was, he wouldn't be laughing so hard. Kimberly was almost tempted to join in, if to at least give their fearless leader a partner for the two on one, but wrestling on the floor in a skirt was not ideal. Instead, she cheered him on, much to the chagrin of Zack and Trini.

"No fair!" Zack wailed. "We don't get a cheer squad!"

"Shut up, Taylor!" Trini got out between giggles. "Get his arm!"

"I'm trying! Stop wiggling so much, Jason!"

"Stop teaming up on me!" Jason fired back.

Sure, they were probably about ten seconds away from yet another detention. But right now, Kimberly couldn't think of a single place she'd rather be than with this company of misfits.

* * *

 **As I said, I'm rather glad how this turned out. This ending was even better than the other lighthearted one I had planned so yay me.**

 **For now, unless inspiration strokes or I get suggestions, my final submissions will be a couple more chapters for Meet me at Midnight. After that I will probably be done with Power Rangers until the next movie arrives.**


End file.
